U.S. Bomber Commander Says Trump’s 60‑Day Ultimatum Prompted Preparations for June Strikes on Iran

When President Donald Trump set a 60‑day deadline for Iran to reach a nuclear agreement, U.S. long‑range bomber forces immediately began planning for possible strikes, the general who commanded the June mission told Fox News Digital. Gen. Jason Armagost said the operation that followed was intended to reestablish deterrence and that allied and adversary capitals took notice.

Armagost, commander of the 8th Air Force and all bomber forces, said he began developing a range of strike options once he learned of the two‑month ultimatum. White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Iranian representatives in Oman during the period, but U.S. officials say negotiations faltered over Iran’s demand for civilian enrichment capacity. President Trump wrote that the ultimatum expired on “day 61,” and described the June strikes as a second chance after talks stalled.

Armagost said mission planning was broader than the single round of strikes that ultimately took place, and that commanders prepared multiple options to support what could have developed into a wider campaign. Fourteen Air Force pilots flying seven B‑2 stealth bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in a marathon mission that included multiple aerial refuelings and took crews roughly 30 hours round trip, he said. The aircraft delivered 14 massive ordnance penetrators against Iranian nuclear sites that U.S. officials said were deep underground.

The general said planners benefited from the remote location of many of the targeted facilities, which reduced the need to estimate civilian casualty rates. He described global bomber operations as intellectually demanding because of changing weather, daylight cycles and the logistics of refueling, saying redundancy in planning and tanker tracks was essential to mission success.

Armagost said the purpose of the strikes should not be judged solely by their precision but by their deterrent effect. "About 30 hours after the attack, there was a ceasefire," he told Fox News Digital, adding that Tehran and other adversaries observed a changed strategic posture and would make different choices as a result.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned of further retaliatory blows after the strikes. Tehran later launched an attack on al‑Udeid Air Base in Qatar; U.S. officials reported minimal damage and no injuries. Israel and Iran reached an agreement that led to a ceasefire on June 24.

Armagost also acknowledged strain on the U.S. long‑range bomber force. He noted that at the height of the Cold War the United States had roughly 770 long‑range bombers organized in 36 wings; today the force is about 140 aircraft. The Air Force is transitioning toward the B‑21, a next‑generation stealth bomber planned as a successor to the B‑2. Officials say the service intends to acquire roughly 100 B‑21s, which the Air Force estimates will be less expensive per airframe than the B‑2.

"It’s a national‑level discussion," Armagost said, speaking of decisions about how many long‑range bombers the United States and its allies may need to deter multiple adversaries and project force globally. He compared the June mission, which the Air Force referred to operationally as Operation Midnight Hammer, to historical strategic bomber missions, saying both shaped history.

President Trump called the operation "very successful" and said Iranian enrichment installations at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan had been "obliterated," a characterization echoed by some U.S. officials but disputed by Iranian authorities. Armagost said the mission reestablished deterrence against a regime the United States and its partners have long feared would be destabilizing with a nuclear capability.

U.S. officials and analysts said the strikes and their aftermath are likely to shape ongoing discussions inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill about future force structure, the pace of B‑21 procurement and the wider posture for deterring nuclear proliferation and regional aggression.